Wii Splashes Down In UK

So did you get one? If you were one of the many punters who made their way down to HMV on Oxford Street last night for the special midnight launch there is a good chance the answer is 'yes'.

You were in good company too with the likes of Pat Cash, Ricky Hatton, Jodie Kidd and Ian Wright duking it out on Wii Sports and the mood was jovial with Nintendo confirming that it received ‘an unprecedented’ (though unspecified) number of pre-orders in advance of today.

The company also restated its desire to ship an incredible 4m Wiis before the end of the year, the largest ever for a Nintendo console launch. Nearly 600,000 Wiis were sold in the US in the first week of its release, that’s roughly one per second! Japanese gamers have also warmed to the device, which hit stores over there one week ago.

Despite a shaky start (when unveiled Nintendo’s console was left trailing by the sheer horsepower of the Xbox 360 and PS3) the Wii has seen gamers warm globally to its broad appeal, low cost and innovative control system. It also appears to have found a sacred middle ground where neither Sony nor Microsoft has positioned their console to compete.

So if you did manage to part with £179 last night, congratulations. If not, be secure in the knowledge there are plenty more coming over the next few weeks and that’s no toilet talk.